The One That Got Away || Benny Weir

29

"Of course!" Benny complains as he looks out through the window in Ethan's living room. "The one time we get free pizza is when your mom is treating us."

"The guy still has two minutes and forty-nine seconds," Ethan informs as he checks his watch. "Zero chance in that rust bucket."

"But as we wait, I need your help." Benny begins. "I need to find a way to ask Reagan to the 'Fly Off the Moon' dance."

"I am the last person you should be asking," Ethan says. "Besides, I think I'm out."

"What? No, we gotta go! This could be our chance to get with the girls we want!" Benny argues. "Come on!"

"I don't know. Ever since we dug up the cubile animus, and then Reagan got possessed and trashed the house, I've kinda felt like laying low." Ethan explains.

"You can lay low when you're dead," Benny says. "These are the best years of our lives."

"Really?"

"I hope not."

*

"I can't believe you have a date for the dance," Sarah says to Erica as the three female vampires walk down the hall. 

"I thought you were done with boys from our school," Reagan says. 

"Who says he's from our school?" Erica questions. "Speaking of boys from our school, are you hoping for Benny to ask you?"

Reagan blushed red but tries to cover it up with a scoff. "Like he'll be wanting to ask me. He probably has a bunch of other girls in mind."

Erica and Sarah give each other a knowing look, one that Reagan didn't notice. 

"Well, hello, Sarah." The three halt when Benny and Ethan walked in front of them. "You ladies going to the dance tomorrow?"

"Not with you dorks," Erica says before walking away.

"What about you two, then?"Benny looks between the two, stopping at Reagan. "A-Actually I have to get going. I have study hall." She slips past the boys, scolding herself.

"What's wrong with her?" Ethan asks.

"This whole dance is terrifying her. She hasn't gotten asked by the boy she wanted yet." Sarah answers, looking at Benny. 

"D-Do you think she'll want to go with me?" Benny questions, hoping the girl would say yes.

"Of course she would, Benny. There's no one else she would rather go with." Sarah reassures him. Benny sighs with relief. "I should go join Reagan in study hall. You better ask her, Weir." Sarah glares at Benny before finding Reagan.

*

As Reagan put her books into her locker, all she could think about was Benny and the dance. Did he want to ask her? Lately, the two have been getting closer to where it was obvious that the two had feelings for each other, but it scared Reagan. She already got rejected once and she went on a blood hunt. She wouldn't want that to happen again. 

As questions were flooding through her mind, she accidentally bumps into Sarah, almost causing the fledgling to drop her stack of books that she held. "Sorry." Reagan winces.

"Don't worry. I could tell something is going through your mind." Sarah says as she adjusts the books in her hands. "Is it Benny?"

Reagan sighs. "Of course it is. All I could think about is Benny. What if he doesn't want to ask me to the dance? What if he has somebody else in mind? What if--"

"These 'what-if' questions are going to be the death of you." Sarah chuckles as she cuts her friend off. "He'll ask. If anybody could see the chemistry you two have, it's obvious that he will ask you."

Reagan nods and opens her mouth to say something until Ethan and Benny came up to them. "Hey, Reg. Hey, Sarah." They greet.

"Hey, boys." Reagan smiles.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asks Sarah. "I'm fine. Just studying too hard." She replies.

"Oh, relax," Benny says. "You'll get, what, a million chances at high school? I mean, who cares if you flunk one?" 

"I care! I have things I want to do in my life. You know, in case I get cured?" Sarah sighs. Benny and Reagan glance at each other as the same idea went through their head.

"You know, Ethan can help you study," Reagan says. "He's about as big of a geek as they come."

"Even for a freshman," Benny adds. Ethan's jaw drops as he thought his best friends were embarrassing him. "Hey!"

"No, they're right. Maybe you could quiz me?" Sarah suggests, Reagan and Benny secretly high-five at their successful plan. "Y-Yeah, sure." Ethan nods.

"Thanks." Sarah smiles before walking off. Ethan turns to his two best friends and smiles, thanking them.

"Looks like you really needed the help." Reagan laughs.

"You know, I know somebody that needs to do something as well." Ethan elbows Benny, which Reagan caught. "See you two later." He walks off, leaving the two oblivious teens alone.

Benny started to fiddle with his thumbs as he began to get nervous, He's been wanting to ask Reagan to the dance for a while, but now that she's standing in front of him, all he could do was stutter.

"Ethan's right." Benny sighs. "I need to do something. More like say something."

"Everything okay?" Reagan questions, not knowing what's about to happen.

"W-Well as you know, the 'Fly Off to the Moon' dance is tomorrow, and I have been wanting to ask you something. Will you go with me? As my date?"

Reagan slightly froze. All she's been wanting was for him to ask her and now that he has, all she could do was stand there like an idiot. A blush rises to her cheeks as she finally pulled herself together.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She smiles.

It was as if a weight has fallen off his shoulders. Benny sighs with relief before smiling at the girl in front of him. "G-Great."

Reagan steps up to press a kiss to his cheek before pulling back to meet his hazel eyes. "See you tomorrow, Benjamin."

The two turn around and once they were out of the other's reach, they both did a little dance at the fact they are each other's dates.

*

"He's what?!" Reagan shouts. 

She was currently on the phone with Sarah, who was explaining that she had an encounter with Jesse. He was somehow back and all he wanted was for Sarah to join him. But what Sarah didn't tell her was Jesse also wanted Reagan for how powerful she is. Sarah had no idea what he meant, so she didn't want to bother Reagan about it. 

"Yeah. I was shocked as well." Sarah says on the other line. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

"For now, nothing. What we can do is get ready for this dance and meet up with the boys." Reagan nods to herself as she hangs up the phone. She throws her phone on the bed as she turns back to her closet. She groans as she couldn't find a dress to wear to the dance until her bedroom door knocked.

She turns her head to see her aunt peek her head in. "Hey, tia. What's that in your hand?" She looks down at the closed up item that she held in her hand. "It's something I've been meaning to give you for a while." She hands her niece the item.

Reagan places the item on her head and gasps when she saw what was inside. It was a dress. But not just any kind of dress.

It was her mother's dress.

Reagan turns to her aunt with glossy eyes. "I love it. Thank you." She pulls her aunt into a hug. "It's what your mother would've wanted. Especially if you're going to the dance with Benny." She wiggles her eyebrows.

"Tia!" Reagan chuckles. "It's just a harmless dance. Nothing is going to happen." She blushes.

Margaret gives her niece a look. "Believe what you want. I know the two of you will be together by the end of tonight." After that, she exits the room to leave her niece by herself. 

Reagan turns back to the dress and smiles.

Hopefully, all will go right tonight.